Collective

Penelope

It wasn't until Penelope got back to her room that she realized she could hardly just go rushing off to the jail without a plan. The dungeons of the castle were a high security location. The guards were all under 18, children with strong powers of defense. 

Penelope knew that some of the guards were over 18 in reality. If they looked young, they were allowed to continue working there until it was no longer plausible that they were a child. Just another one of the Palace's best kept secrets. 

The only people allowed into and out of the prison were the guards, the few royals who were in charge of operating the prison, and the prisoners themselves. 

No, Penelope thought to herself, that couldn't be true. After all, the prisoners had to eat. And they had to have supplies. And Penelope knew the guards themselves would not be responsible for cafeteria duty. So there were other workers allowed in and out. All Penelope had to do was figure out how to pass for one of them.

She was bouncing her knee impatiently on her bed the next day when Lyla came in with her breakfast. 

Quickly, she composed herself, making sure to ask Lyla how her sister was doing. 

"Excellent! My entire family is overjoyed. We didn't expect to have even a few more days with her, and now we can dare to hope for so much more...months, years..." Lyla trailed off with emotion. 

"I am so glad to hear it." Penelope spoke genuinely. 

Lyla simply nodded, and resumed serving Penelope's breakfast.

"Lyla," Penelope began carefully, "What do you know about the prison?"

Alarmed, Lyla's eyes leapt up to Penelope's in concern. "Why would you ask a thing like that Princess?"

"Oh....no reason. I was just...wondering. Do you know anyone who works there?"

Lyla, more intelligent than she let on, looked at Penelope suspiciously. 

"Why? Are you planning another stunt like the one you pulled with Mr. Green?"

Lyla had never spoken to Penelope so bluntly before, and Penelope was taken aback for a moment, although she made sure not to let her composure drop.

"Maybe." 

Lyla shook her head adamantly. "That was dangerous, what you did before. I won't let you risk yourself like that again. Not for me, and not for anyone."

"Look Lyla, this is something I'm going to do. Either you can help me, and make it less likely to go wrong, or you can deter me, and then you're right, I probably will get caught."

Lyla considered that, looking at Penelope with her expression unreadable. Finally, she sighed, "I know a few of the guards, and a few of the kitchen staff."

Thinking quickly, Penelope realized that despite the fact that impersonating a kitchen staffer might be safer, it would have to be a guard. And not only that but a high ranking guard. That was the only way she could actually get close to the prisoners. 

"Who is the most powerful guard you know well?" she asked Lyla.

Lyla thought, rubbing her fingers up and down her arm nervously. "Probably Kyle." she said finally, not elaborating. 

Penelope waved her hand in the air impatiently, gesturing Lyla to continue.

"Most prison guards," Lyla began, "Are chosen for three reasons: strength of power, type of power, and personality. The royals look for dominating powers for obvious reasons. But they also look for dominant personalities, because they want guards who will embrace their control over the prisoners."